A Need for a Partner
by IAmTheRedLady
Summary: Why does Kirk have so many flings anyway? (Spirk aka K/S)


**Another little Spirk ficlet!**

* * *

It was one of those regular nights when Jim and Spock played chess together. Jim was unfocused on the game, however. He was lamenting a comment an ambassador had made to him at the recent Federation gala. "She was very beautiful, I was flattered by her advances, but I wasn't really looking for anything that night. I tried to tell her that, but she just laughed it off, saying that I didn't need to play coy, she knew all about my reputation." Jim looked up at Spock despondently. "I know I'm a flirt, but I'm not some...gigolo!"

"With all due respect, Captain," said Spock, moving his rook forward four spaces, "you do make a habit out of...taking pleasure and quickly moving on from the liaison after it is over."

"Not you too," said Jim with a pout.

"I do apologize, Captain. I only remark on what I have observed."

"Spock, please, we're off duty. Call me Jim." Jim sighed as he moved his knight. "It's not like I like having these little brief affairs and then running off on them. Believe me, one of my dearest wishes is have a...partner. A spouse, a monogamous lover, whatever you would call it. Someone I can be with in my golden years." Jim smiled dreamily. "I think about what it'd be like sometimes. We'd have a little house or apartment somewhere. We could get a dog or cat. We'd wake up nestled together in the mornings, then after a short lie-in, I'd get up and make us breakfast. We'd spend our down time reading together or out in the garden, and then we'd snuggle up together again when we were going to sleep. I'd hold them and whisper to them that I love them and that I'm so lucky to have them."

There was an indescribable hint of something in Spock's eyes as he stared at Jim. "That sounds...most wonderful," he said softly.

Jim's smile faded. "But I'm a starship captain. I'll never have all that. Not until I'm much older, anyway. I don't stop moving long enough to have anyone permanent."

"Then why engage in casual relationships if they are unfulfilling to you?"

Jim chuckled, shaking his head. "You, my friend, are a Vulcan. You can live without intimacy if you need to. I don't just mean physically, emotionally too. A short personal connection is still a connection, and it can make one feel good for a short time. If it's the only kind I can get, I'll take it."

"Are you saying it would be healthier for you to have a long term partner?" Spock inquired.

"Of course," Jim replied. "Humans are social creatures. We're made for partnership."

"Then we must find you a partner who can devote themselves to you," Spock decided.

Jim smiled wistfully. "You're sweet to care about me, Spock, but the only people I see all the time are my crew, and it would be inappropriate to strike up a relationship with any of them."

"Unless they were above a certain rank," Spock pointed out.

"Yes," Jim admitted. "Technically, anyone on the command team would be fair game." His hazel eyes darted to Spock for an instant, then quickly back at the game. "But that's out of the question."

"Let us see. Mister Scott and Miss Uhura are already committed to each other, I believe. Mister Sulu is already married. Mister Chekov is considerably younger than you are, and I assume you would not consider him for romantic partnership. You are quite close with Doctor McCoy, however."

"Only in a platonic sense," Jim said. "Bones is like my brother. Plus I know I'm not his type. So I guess that's everybody."

Spock blinked at him. "Have you forgotten me?"

Jim laughed shyly. "You're unforgettable, Spock. But we both know you wouldn't be interested, so it seems kind of illogical to dwell on that, doesn't it?"

"Did I ever say that I would not be interested in being your romantic partner?"

Jim froze. He looked up at Spock. The other man, as always, was dead serious.

"Um..." Jim's cheeks were turning red. "Spock, that's very kind of you to offer, but...I don't think what being my romantic partner would entail would interest you."

"From my perspective, we already spend much of our personal time together and are more emotionally intimate than most friends are. All we are missing is the physical aspect, which can be easily taken care of."

"That's...true," Jim said. "But from what I've gathered, kissing and holding and...other things...aren't desirable for you."

Spock stared at him pointedly. "They would if they were shared with the right person."

"Wait, are you saying you want to kiss me?"

"Jim, you are fairly intelligent for a human, but it took you much too long to reach that conclusion."

Spock had risen from his chair and come to kneel in front of Jim. Laying a hand on Jim's cheek, Spock craned upward to bring their lips together.

Jim's breath stopped as they kissed. Then when Spock pulled away, Jim sputtered, "How did you know I had feelings for you?!"

"Doctor McCoy told me. He encouraged me to 'make a move on you before this whole ship exploded from our sexual tension'. His words, obviously, not mine."

"That meddling old mother hen." Jim grinned. "But you really do want me, right? You're not just doing this for me?"

"On the contrary, Jim. My motivation is entirely selfish. I ask to be your monogamous partner because I do not wish to see you with anyone other than myself ever again."

Jim giggled, sliding out his chair onto the floor so he could be eye level with Spock. "There isn't a selfish bone in your body, Mister Spock. And for the record, I love you too."


End file.
